THE AWAKENING

The age of forty-two was considered to be the most critical for a man in traditional Japan, because the number forty-two can be pronounced shi-ni, which is phonetically identical to the term "death" in Japanese. During the busy rice planting season in June of his forty-second year, Bunji collapsed and became bedridden with a serious illness. His illness affected his throat so severely that he was no longer able to speak or drink, causing his doctors to give up hope for his recovery. In spite of this, Bunji maintained his faith. When it was harvest time on his farm, he encouraged his wife, Tose, (through hand gestures) to continue the duties of the farm with the help of his relatives.

Although, since the first day of the new year, Bunji had abided by the traditional beliefs associated with his age in order to avert any misfortunes, his relatives and neighbors worried that he would die because he had angered Konjin. After completing the harvest, they gathered at his house and had Tose's brother, Jiro, give prayers. Jiro then became possessed by a deity, who declared that Bunji had been irreverent to Konjin while building his house. Tose's father refuted this by insisting, "No! That is not so! Bunji consulted the Days and Directions to build the house! He did not insult Konjin!" The deity rejected this outburst and threatened to wipe out Bunji's family. During this confrontation, Bunji was praying and became deeply moved by the words regarding the construction of his house. Just as soon as he realized that the construction must have offended the deity, his throat cleared up enabling him to speak, and he apologized from his bed,

My father-in-law has just spoken while being totally ignorant. Since I was born in the Year of the Dog, it was my unlucky year to do construction. I had the Days and Directions checked, but since the results did not agree with my construction plans, I had the Days and Directions rechecked to maneuver around the difficulties. I then proceeded with the construction while following the Days as instructed. I thereby built a house bigger than the old one. Due to my primal ignorance, I did not know which direction I was irreverent to. I do not think that just checking the Days and Directions is sufficient. I apologize for my irreverence since starting the construction. (Memoirs: 3:5.2-4)

With his acknowledgment and acceptance of his faults, the deity revealed that Bunji was to have perished with this illness, but due to his faith and sincerity, it was changed to a lighter throat ailment. The deity also forgave Bunji and promised to have him recover from his illness. In this way, Bunji was saved from an early death and gradually recovered. Through this encounter, Bunji realized for the first time the benevolent nature of the deity thought to be Konjin. After his recovery, Bunji devoted an entire day, three times a month, for the visitation of shrines.

In late 1857, Bunji's brother, Kandori Shige'emon, began worshipping Konjin. Bunji then began to worship Konjin at the shrine in Shige'emon's house. Through Shige'emon, Bunji received various instructions from Konjin for his daily life. Bunji's conceptual growth and broadening of his concept of Konjin led him to call Konjin, "Kane No Kami" (a derivation of the Chinese characters for "Konjin"). Kami revealed;

"Bunji shall become my First Disciple. I won't take him away from here. I will teach him right here. There is no need for concern" (Memoirs: 6:1.8).

Receiving countless blessings by following Kami's advice, Bunji deepened his faith in Kami further. To show his appreciation, Bunji constructed a new altar for Kami in his own house in 1858. Shortly thereafter, Bunji was able to receive Kami's words directly, without going through Shige'emon. In this way, Kami instructed and guided Bunji in detail concerning farming practices, his children's smallpox, the birth of his third daughter, practices concerning pregnancy, and for many other aspects of daily living.

Some of Kami's instructions did not always conform to the established practices of the time and often seemed strange or illogical to others. Still, Bunji followed them dutifully, which brought him great blessings. Bunji did not completely disregard the concerns of those people around him and tried to accommodate their interests as well. For example, once when Bunji was instructed to wear formal clothing during prayers but farm in bare feet to discipline himself, he observed these practices. But as winter arrived, Tose became concerned about Bunji's health, as well as the misunderstanding others would have of him. She was afraid people would either think he was not quite right in the head, or that he was too lazy to make sandals for himself. Although the impressions of others were of little consequence to him, Bunji understood Tose's concern and tied his straw sandals onto the hoe which he carried to the field. When someone would ask why he did this, he replied that he could not wear his new sandals because they hurt his feet. Bunji was able to follow Kami's instructions while also valuing the feelings of those around him.

In this way, Bunji was able to improve his farming, which prompted other people in the village to greatly admire him. As for his children's illnesses, Kami let Bunji know ahead of time what would happen. When Bunji's children contracted smallpox, Kami advised him to keep working in the fields without calling on doctors or practicing traditional taboos. While waiting for his second daughter Kura's recovery, Bunji recalled some of his past experiences;

Earlier in the past, each time when one of my children died, there was no kami who revealed and taught things to me. But this time, I received so much guidance from Kami-Sama, and I am thankful. Even if she were to die, I still will have received blessings. (Memoirs: 7:7.3)

Without resorting to superstitious practices or overnight vigils, Bunji's three children overcame their illnesses. The birth of Bunji's third daughter was also an easy one for Tose. Many times before, she had labor pains and came down with fever, or had difficult deliveries. However, this time she worked in the fields all day until sundown and gave birth that same evening. She did not become bedridden or physically weak. Kami also revealed to Bunji that the Kawate family had built the house on a site where animals had been buried. It was due to this impurity that the people who had lived there, including Bunji, suffered misfortunes. Bunji thereby learned that the misfortunes which had befallen him where due to the impurity of the house. About those deaths he encountered, he wrote;

In every case, I had a doctor give treatment, and I gave fervent requests and prayers to various kamis and did all I could. Even after I prayed to the kamis and buddhas, the victims were not saved. I stood by helpless. I lived with this constant frustration and futility. (Memoirs: 6:9.5)

Bunji also came to realize that his observance of the Days and Directions in hopes of avoiding misfortunes was, in fact, an act of disrespect toward Kami. With Kami's guidance, everything went smoothly for Bunji. Through these blessings, Bunji strengthened his faith and trust in Kami and was able to free himself from traditional superstitious beliefs. His constant frustration and futility were replaced by faith and reassurance. In this way, Bunji came to realize that Konjin was not an evil deity, but was in fact, Kane No Kami, a benevolent deity who protected all people.

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